


Mohai

by SuOliveira



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, But not forever, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I don't know I'll probably think of more tags soon, It's a work in progress, M/M, Pining, Sad Danny "Danno" Williams, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2020-11-07 14:41:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20818988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuOliveira/pseuds/SuOliveira
Summary: Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he thought to himself about how this was gonna go.He would confess his feelings, Steve would think it was once again just a platonic little thing(because God knew once they started saying the words, they had never stopped).Danny would have to explain exactly what he meant, and then…He didn’t really let himself think past that. It would go well or it wouldn’t; that was a problem for Future Him.Past Him was a fucking jackass.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know. This came to me and I had to write it.
> 
> I haven't been feeling too well, so I guess some of it needed to get out in fanfic form xD 
> 
> Hope someone enjoys this :)
> 
> (I have no beta and English is not my first language, so please forgive me and there are any atrocious mistakes that I missed. I promise I tried to catch them all.)

It was a bit of a mystery to him why today had to be the day. Danny had been in love with his best friend for quite a number of years already, but somehow, on that random Friday, it felt like one day too many to keep that secret. Danny loved him madly. Loved him every hour of every day. Loved him even when Steve made him so mad he couldn’t help the need to yell. Loved him so much he was bursting at the seams. So no, he couldn’t wait anymore. It had the potential to ruin his life, but it could also be the best thing that ever happened to him, excluding his children. 

So Danny stood up. He went around his desk and towards the door before he lost his nerve. Chin, Kono and Lou had all left already, their beast of a case finally over and done with, the table in the middle of the office shut down for the day, and right across from the room, Steve sat at his desk. 

Even though Danny felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest, that sight still made him smile. It was a small and briet one, but a true smile nonetheless. So freaking far gone, he thought as he made his way to his partner’s open door.

“Hey, babe,” Danny started, stopped at the door frame and putting one hand on his hip. “Thought you’d be out of here by now.”

“Danno!” Steve smiled brightly as he looked up from the computer, and damn it if that smile didn’t make Danny’s heart skip a beat. “I’m almost done and almost out the door, promise. You didn’t have to wait for me, though. My truck is still downstairs, you know.”

“No, no, I know,” Danny nodded, taking a few more steps into the office and heading straight for the couch. “I just - hm. I just needed to talk to you about something.” He said, before he could talk himself out of it again.

“Oh, sure. Hang on,” Steve raised one hand while the other finished typing and he closed his computer. “What’s up, buddy?”

Danny knew that it probably wasn’t true, but it felt like everything stopped. Steve had turned around to give him his full attention, and Danny felt as if his gaze was piercing through his skin, like Steve would know what he wanted to talk about before Danny even got a word out. So he had to do it. That was a promise Danny made to himself when he first realized he had fallen in love with his best friend. The words would come from him. He would say them. He had to say them. 

“I love you,” he blurted out, giving Steve a small shaky smile.

“Aw, I love you too, bud,” Steve replied, his grin wide and unperturbed. 

And Danny knew how that was going to start. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he thought to himself about how this was gonna go. He would confess his feelings, Steve would think it was once again just a platonic little thing (because God knew once they started saying the words, they had never stopped). Danny would have to explain exactly what he meant, and then… He didn’t really let himself think past that. It would go well or it wouldn’t; that was a problem for Future Him. Past Him was a fucking jackass. 

“No, I -” Danny interrupted, staring at a spot about two feet to the side of Steve’s head. “I love you. I love you more than… the other guys. No. I mean - Wait, I just,” Danny rambled slightly, ignoring Steve’s confused face that he could see on the corner of his eye. “I’m in love with you. I have been since… I don’t even know. That’s not important. The important part is that I - I love you. Like crazy. Like I never thought I would. You are insufferable and drives me crazy and I can’t ever go a full day without yelling at you. But you are also the best man I have ever met, the strongest and kindest person I know, my kids love you and I - I do too. I do. I love you. So much that it hurts sometimes. I love you.”

Danny felt he could barely breathe after he finished. He said it all in one breath before he lost his nerve and now it felt like his chest was so tight he couldn’t get any air in. Fighting against himself, Danny made himself look at Steve again and then he knew. 

He saw the look on his partner’s face. The look that meant Steve was both surprised out of his mind and so full of sorrow that it made Danny’s head hurt. He knew what that meant. 

“Danny, I -” Steve started, rolling forward in his chair towards the couch and Danny nodded, because he knew what came next. “I love you. I do. You have to know that. But I. And, and it’s not - I don’t -”

“No, no, no, I get it,” Danny stood up from the couch and took a step towards the closest door. “It’s all good. I knew that it was probably - you don’t,” he shook his head, reaching behind himself for the door handle. “You don’t have to say anything, yeah? We’ll just, you know. Just move past this and -”

Danny was interrupted by the buzzing of Steve’s phone against the desk and he let out a shaky breath. From where he was standing, he could just about make out Catherine’s picture on the screen and he forced a smile onto his face. 

“You should probably get that, yeah?” Danny was out the door before he even finished the sentence and headed straight for the elevators down the hallway at a very fast pace. Not running. He would not do that to himself, on top of everything else. He would not be seen fleeing the room, no matter how much he wanted to get as far away as he could as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again! With a much longer chapter this time.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

If asked later, Danny couldn’t really say how he made it out of the Palace and to his car. One minute he was walking out of Steve’s office, trying hard not to hyperventilate, and the next he was slamming the car door and letting his head fall forward onto the steering wheel. 

“What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? What in the name of all that is holy did I _just_ do?” Danny whispered to himself, his eyes screwed shut as he bit back a sob. 

He shook his head and made himself sit up straight again, clearing his throat as he fished the car keys out of his pocket and turned the ignition. Danny needed to leave. He was once again out-of-his-mind-grateful for the weekend, because it meant he could get himself nice and drunk tonight and it didn’t matter. If it also worked as an excuse to miss the team surf tomorrow, that was just a bonus. 

From where he was parked, Danny could see the 6-foot figure of his partner rushing out the door and he peeled out of the parking lot with a hissed curse, before Steve even made it down the front steps. 

Aware that the stash of alcohol in his house was running low and he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with that, Danny found himself driving to a part of the island that he never really thought he would find himself heading to willingly again. See, when he first moved to Hawai’i and had that tiny little apartment that barely fit him and his hair, Danny found this hole-in-wall bar a few blocks away. It was the first place that didn’t look at him like he was dirt on their shoes for being a haole, and the owner actually took to him, saying he reminded her of her son on the mainland. 

So Danny came back, when things got a bit too much to handle, when he had to drop Grace off at Rachel’s and go back to his empty apartment, when he dropped Steve off at the end of the day and caught sight of Catherine walking around inside. When he confessed his feelings to the man he loved and realized that he didn’t feel the same way also qualified, apparently. 

The place wasn’t a tourist trap, far enough away from the beach that it wasn’t really known and the parking lot was relatively empty, so Danny wasted no time in finding himself a spot and heading inside. 

“There’s my favorite white boy,” a loud voice greeted him from behind the counter and Danny couldn’t help but smile as he approached Leilani. “It’s been a long time, son. Come, sit.”

“Hey, darling. I guess I just missed your pretty face,” Danny replied, settling on a stool and reaching for her hand, squeezing it softly.

“I can see right through your smile, boy.” Leilani shook her head at him, taking her hand back and heading for the whiskey she knew he preferred. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Danny sighed, the smile sliding right off his face as he placed both his phone and keys on the counter in front of him. “You know I adore you. But no, tonight I just want to be a little quiet and get drunk. I won’t be good company, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you worry about it, _ipo_,” came the reply, as Leilani grabbed a glass and poured his drink. “Here, start with a double. I’ll get the kitchen started on you burger. And I’m around if you need anything.”

Danny tilted his glass at her and winked to show his appreciation, before downing half the drink in one gulp. As he put the whiskey down on the counter, Danny could feel his phone vibrating against the wood and he sighed heavily before reaching for it, aware of what was going to be staring at him on that screen. 

_[08:26:42] Steve: Danny, where are you?_

_[08:27:58] Steve: Please, I think we should talk. You’re my best friend, I love you._

_[08:29:07] Steve: I’m sorry, I didn’t know. What can I do for you, Danny? Please._

_[08:32:18] Steve: Just tell me where you are, okay? I’ll come to you. _

Danny let out a shaky breath as he read the texts, one of his hands reaching out to rub at his chest. He could see that there was actually no knife twisting inside his heart, but the feeling still persisted. Steve’s face and the way he stumbled through the would-be rejection were burned forever in Danny’s mind, but the reminder still hurt. 

**[08:53:42] Danny: I’m fine. Just leave me be. **

**[08:54:14] Danny: Just give me the weekend, please. I’ll see you Monday. **

After hitting send and placing the phone back on the counter with the screen facing down, Danny chugged the rest of his drink and immediately waved Leilani for another one. 

One drink quickly turned into two, into three, into Danny forgetting exactly how many double whiskeys were put in front of him. His burger was placed in front of him and, even though he didn’t even remember eating it, there was no sign of the food anymore. The football game on the screen to his side turned into baseball, though Danny would not be able to tell you who was playing, let alone what the score was. But if the players on the screen were running as much as his thoughts were… oh, boy. 

You see, Danny knew what Steve wanted to say to him. He wanted to say that Danny was his best friend, his partner. That he loved him. Loved him like a brother. And that was all well and good. Danny would find a way to be okay with it. He would find a way to move past it and go back to being his partner and yell at him over proper police procedure. But right now, there was one thought that was hurting more than anything. Because here’s the thing: it wasn’t that Steve didn’t like guys in general, he just didn’t like Danny. They were pretty close, so Danny heard many stories from Steve’s past, many stories that definitely involved two dicks. So, really, Danny was the problem.

After finishing his latest drink and putting the glass back on the counter, Danny noticed through his blurred vision that his keys were not next to his phone. True, he was ignoring that part of the counter, since every now and again his phone would buzz again and he very much did not want to acknowledge it. 

“I have them,” Leilani said from the other side of the bar when she noticed Danny pawing at the counter. “I took them about three drinks ago, so you better get on that phone of yours and get someone to come get you, cause you’re not driving tonight, _ipo._”

Danny groaned and let his head fall forward, the movement making him dizzy and his forehead hitting the hard wood. The worst part is that he knew Leilani was right, but that didn’t change the fact that he didn’t really know who to call. Sighing loudly, he went through the options in his head.

1\. Steve. (No, for obvious reasons.)

2\. Melissa. (Also no, the break up hadn’t been that amicable and she would very much ignore his call.)

3\. Kono. (She would want to know what happened. And that girl is relentless, she would not rest until he spilled his guts. And he was so not ready for that.)

4.Lou. (Would not pry much, that’s true. But he would also not let him live this down. Also has a wife that would probably make Danny pay for dragging her husband away so late on a Friday night.)

5\. Chin. (Yup. That was probably his best bet. Chin was a good friend and would probably give him a ride with no strings attached.)

Lifting his head back up from the counter, Danny grabbed his phone and, ignoring that several unread text messages from Steve, he dialed Chin and waited.

_“Danny?” _Thank God, he didn’t sound like Danny had woken him up, or… interrupted something. 

“Chin, hello,” Danny slurred slightly. “I - hm. I don’t suppose you’re - ah, very busy? Or, or… hm, asleep, or anything?”

_“No, no,” _Chin replied, and Danny swore he could hear the smile on his voice. _“Not asleep or busy, buddy. I’m guessing you overindulged and are in need of some help?”_

“... if you wouldn’t mind? You know that little bar -” Danny got interrupted by a rather loud burp. “ - excuse me, that bar near my old apartment that I showed you?”

_“Leilani’s place?”_ Chin confirmed, chuckling softly._ “Yeah,brah. I’ll be there in about 15 minutes.”_

“Thank you. I love you. You are an angel. I owe you forever.”

_“Sure, Danny. Hang in there.”_

Danny sighed and closed his eyes, dropping the phone back next to his empty glass. Suddenly, his head was way too heavy to be upright and Danny rested on the counter again, on his cheek this time. Against his better judgement, Danny picked up the cell phone again and opened his text messages again. He couldn’t really tell what most of them said, except for the last one, from about two hours earlier.

_[11:24:51] Steve: I’m sorry, Danny. I’m so sorry._

Danny let out a long groan, wiggling to slide the phone into his pocket, and closed his eyes again. He was so past done with that day it wasn’t even funny anymore. All he wanted to do was get home, drink about a gallon of water and get in bed. Possibly stay there until Monday morning. 

He didn’t really think he had fallen asleep, but next thing Danny knew there was a hand on his shoulder and he was looking up at the smiling face of Chin Ho Kelly.

“_Aloha, brah._”

“Chin Ho!” Danny grinned up at him, throwing his arms around his friend’s shoulders, ecstatic that he was one step closer to making it home. “Leilani took my keys hostage.” He was not pouting, thank you very much. 

Chin shook his head at him and snickered as he reached over to take the keys Leilani was handing back over. “_Mahalo_, Auntie.”

Danny was half aware of some sort of conversation going on between the two of them, but he was too busy trying not to sway too much as he stood up on his own two feet again. Before he knew it, Chin was guiding him towards the door and Danny took a second to wave at Leilani before following him out into the crisp Hawaiian air. 

“Listen, I took a cab here so you didn’t have to leave your car, and I’ll take another one from your place back to mine, alright?” Chin explained, one hand on Danny’s arm to make sure he wouldn’t trip on thin air. 

“Oh, buddy, you’re the best. I’ll pay you back for them, promise,” Danny replied, one hand coming up to his chest as he smiled at Chin.

“Yeah, yeah. No worries, _bruddah._” Chin waved him off as they reached the car. “Can you get yourself in okay?”

“I got it, I got it,” Danny nodded, stumbling forward and dropping onto the seat, just barely remembering to pull his legs in before closing the door.

Danny dozed on and off the whole drive to his place, faintly aware of Chin’s calming presence next to him, knowing he would get home safe and sound. At that point, it felt like all energy had been drained out of him and all he could think about was Steve’s face as he said _“I love you, but…”_

By the time they made it to his driveway, Danny was awake again and he let out a loud breath as he looked out at his dark house. Chin turned off the car and handed Danny the keys, a soft smile still on his face.

“Listen, I called for a cab on the drive over and they should be here anytime,” Chin started, in a way that let Danny knew he wasn’t quite done yet. “ Do I… want to know why you called me and not McGarrett? Or why he wasn’t with you in the first place?”

Danny shook his head and looked away, though he could still see from the corner of his eye how Chin just raised his hands in defeat. That was one of the things he loved about the Hawaiian man. He would ask, but if you didn’t want to answer, more often than not Chin would let it go. 

“ Look, I… I might not make it tomorrow, yeah?” Danny said, one hand reaching up to rub at his face, blurred vision and dizziness at bay for the moment. “So maybe… keep the others from calling me or something? I’ll be fine and I’ll see you all on Monday, okay? I promise.”

Chin nodded at him, reaching to open the car door. “I’ll try, brah. You know how they can get, though. You know how _he_ can get. But I’ll pass along the message.”

“Thank you.” Danny managed to smile at him again, before getting out of the car and letting the door close behind himself. He waited for Chin to exit and make his way to the other side of the car before he locked it. 

“And… thanks again for coming. Means a lot, babe.” Danny reached to give Chin a hug, hearing a car pulling up to the curb. 

“Anytime.” Chin squeezed Danny’s neck softly before waving at the house behind them. “Go on, I’ll wait until you’re inside.”

Danny tapped Chin on the shoulder before turning around and heading for the house, only stumbling slightly before he made it to the door. The moonlight was bright enough to help him get the key in the lock and, taking a moment to wave back at Chin, Danny went in and locked the door. 

Once inside and alone, it took all that Danny had to make it to the kitchen for long enough to grab a bottle of water before he went straight to his bedroom. Dropping the water and his phone on the bedside table, Danny shed his clothes as he went into the bathroom to piss what felt like all the whiskey he consumed all night long. Not bothering to put anything back on, he fell backwards onto the bed, naked. 

In the darkness of his own empty house, Danny allowed himself to crack. Closing his eyes and rolling onto his side, Danny let out the sob he had been holding back since he left the office. Once that was out of the way, there was nothing else keeping the tears at bay and Danny allowed himself to cry. Cry for all the could have been, cry for his broken heart, cry for all that he lost, including the best friendship he had ever had. 

He cried. Cried until he lost track of time, cried until he couldn’t breathe anymore. Cried until he had no more tears and was forced to drink that whole bottle of water to hydrate himself again. And then he cried some more. 

Cried until the pull of unconsciousness was too strong and he just let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor baby boy. I promise you'll get to be happy, Danno. <3
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as he woke up in the morning, Danny hated himself with a passion. Hated how much he let himself drink the night before (warranted as it was), hated how he didn’t think to bring a bottle of ibuprofen to his bedside table before he fell asleep, hated how much his head was pounding but, more urgently at the moment, hated how his bladder was about to burst.

Groaning loudly, Danny rolled over and out of bed, his eyes open just enough to see where he was going as he headed to the toilet. Danny quickly relieved himself, fighting against the urge to close his eyes again all the while. Stopping just enough to wash his hands and grab the ibuprofen, he walked back into the bedroom. As he moved, Danny shook two pills onto his hand and tossed them back, swallowing dry once he remembered there was no more water in the bedroom.

Danny let out a loud breath as he sat on the bed and reached for his phone. The sun outside told him he hadn’t slept quite as much as he wanted to, and the time staring back at him from the screen confirmed it. He rubbed a hand on his face and up to his hair as he scrolled through his notifications. There were a couple of missed calls from Steve and Kono, as well as text messages from both of them and Chin. But the one that brought a small and true smile to his face was the one from his daughter, the light of his life.

_[10:13:45] Grace: Danno, this is so boring. Can we please just come back home? _

At the moment, Grace and Charlie were in London with Rachel for a couple of weeks, and the only reason why Danny didn’t complain about it was because he already had plans of taking his kids back to Jersey for the same amount of time in a few months. Still, didn’t mean he liked the fact that he could only talk to them a few hours every day, given the stupid time difference.

Lucky for him, Grace’s texts had only come about 10 or 15 minutes earlier, so chances were she was still around the phone.

**[10:27:34] I’m sorry, Monkey. Only a few more days. You’ll be back home and in the same timezone as your friends before you know it. **

Done with what was probably the highlight of his day, Danny turned his attention to his other messages, including a voicemail from Steve that his phone told him arrived at the ungodly hour of 5 in the morning. Before he could stop himself, Danny hit play.

_“Hm… Hi, Danno. I - I know you probably don’t want to talk to me. I mean, you didn’t answer my texts anymore and I - I - I’m not gonna push. Too much, I don’t think. I’m trying, Danno, okay? I just - Shit, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t know. I didn’t notice. I - I… I didn’t know to notice. And it’s not like I don’t - I don’t love you. I do, Danno. I love you very much. I just - it’s not… like that. I mean, you’re my best friend. You’re so important to me, Danny. You have to know that, please. I -” _

The message cut right there and Danny was so freaking relieved. Oh, don’t get him wrong. He appreciated it. He appreciated the friendship and the brotherly love, the acknowledgement of how much he came to mean to his partner. It’s just that, right now, he needed to be allowed to wallow. He needed to give himself the time to wallow and feel awful, and heartbroken and like his world was crumbling apart. Because it was. He was sure he would find a way to live with it and make everything go back to the way it was before. He just needed to let himself hurt for now.

Rubbing his face again to wipe away the tears the had made quite the comeback, Danny looked over his other messages: a couple from Steve from the night before, another few from Kono wondering what was going on and why he hadn’t shown up that morning, and a single one from Chin, checking up after the night before and confirming once again that he would deliver his message to the others. Slowly, he went through and answered them all.

First Kono:

** [10:35:54] Danny: I know for a fact Chin told you I wasn’t going to make it. Sorry, babe, don’t feel too good today. **

Then Chin:

** [10:39:21] Danny: I stand by what I said yesterday: you’re an angel. I’m okay, just need the weekend to myself a little bit. Thanks again, bud. **

And lastly, Steve:

** [10:43:28] Danny: I’m okay. We’re good. I’ll see you Monday, I promise. **

It was a little funny, how the hardest text he had to send was the shortest one. But he supposed that was the whole point of it, wasn’t it?

By the time he was done with all the messaging and was about ready to rip his goofy thumbs out, another text from Grace came.

_ [10:44:59] Grace: But I also miss you, Danno. And it’s cold here, I miss the sun. And now we have to go to sleep, Mom says we have to have breakfast by 6:30 because we have a stupid museum to go to. _

_[10:45:43] Grace: Love you Danno._

** [10:48:23] Danny: Hang in there, kiddo. Danno loves you. **

As Danny replied, he got up and grabbed a pair of boxers to put on before he started walking to the kitchen since his headache was starting to fade and the hunger was making itself known. It wasn’t like he had any energy or will to make breakfast, but cold leftover pizza would do just fine. If his grandmother could see him now… Not that he cared enough about it to not stuff half a slice into his mouth at once.

Grabbing the entire box, Danny padded along to the living room and dropped down on the couch, his feet immediately going for the coffee table. After thinking on it for about half a second, Danny reached for the remote and put on the first thing that looked the least bit interesting, which turned out to be some sort of medical show.

He didn’t want to think about it anymore. About Steve, about confessing how he really felt about him, about hearing that his friend didn’t actually feel the same way about him. He also didn’t want to think about all the times he had been alone with Steve before and thought that maybe something more would come out of it, about all the times Steve touched him for no apparent reason, about all the times Steve smiled at him, just at him. He also didn’t want to think about it how all of that was probably gone now.

However, long after the pizza was gone and the TV show turned into a talk show, a reality show and now the news, that was still all he could think about. Danny knew that what he was doing was probably irrational and unreasonable, and maybe a little petty. Even when they were mad at each other, or when Danny was thousands of miles away visiting his parents in Jersey, he had never gone a full day without speaking with Steve.

So Danny muted the television and pawed at the cushions to grab his phone again. Before he could change his mind again, he hit the speed dial.

It didn’t take long for the call to be picked up and Danny sighed, resting his head back against the couch.

_”Hi.”_ Steve said quietly.

“Hey, partner,” Danny replied, his eyes staring at the TV, without actually seeing anything. “Listen, I need to talk to you for a second.”

_”Danny, wait,”_ Steve said quickly, before Danny could continue. _”I’m - I don’t know what to say, not really, but I - I have to try and, and I - Danny, I’m sorry. I just - I don’t know how to -” _

“Steve, hey, calm down,” Danny interrupted, sitting upright again as if that would make any difference. “You don’t… You don’t have to apologize, okay? I mean, it’s not your fault that I _like_ like you and - oh Jesus Christ, now I sound like Grace.” Danny stopped to rub at his face. “Look. I didn’t - I didn’t mean to fall for you. And it’s okay, it’s okay that you don’t feel the same way, I just-”

Danny froze. He knew what he wanted to say, what he needed to say, but he wished he didn’t have to. Danny wished he could just let it go like a normal person, and there we go, another reason for him to hate himself.

_”You what?”_ Steve asked after a few minutes.

“I… might need some distance,” Danny whispered.

_”What - what do you mean?”_ Steve asked, a note of panic in his voice. _”Are you gonna leave? Danny, please don’t leave. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. We can - I can figure something out, I don’t know what - but I just, Danny, please-” _

“Steve, for the love of God, breathe,” Danny interrupted him, sighing softly. “No, I’m not leaving. I told you I’d see you on Monday and I will, I promise. I just… I need to get used to, hm… knowing the things I know now.”

Danny rested his head against the back of the couch again. “Not to get over you. I don’t think there is such a thing. I don’t think I could ever… not love you. I just need to readjust, you know?” He finished, his voice breaking slightly.

_”I… yeah, I - hm. Is there anything I can do? I’m sorry, Danny.”_

“Yeah, yeah, there’s something you can do for me. Stop apologizing, would you? I told you, it’s not your fault. This… this one is on me, Steve. And - and I’ll deal with it, okay? Can you just give me some time? I’ll be around, I’ll do my job, I just...need some time to be your best friend without other stuff getting in the way.”

Danny could hear Steve sighing on the other side. _”Yeah, anything you want. I - I promise I’ll try not to push, okay?”_

“Thanks,” Danny said as he allowed himself a small smile. “I will really see you on Monday, okay? I’m always professional, you know me.”

_ ”Yeah, yeah_,” Steve chuckled softly. ”_I’ll see you Monday. Love you, Danno. Oh, shit. I mean - I, I - can I still say that? Can I still call you that? I don’t know what’s - hm. What’s okay and what’s not okay or if I can-_”

“Steve, it’s fine,” Danny shook his head at his partner, even though he knew Steve couldn’t see him. “It’s fine. You’re still my best friend, you gigantic goofball. I love you too. See you later.”

  
_”Bye, Danno.” _

Danny hung up the phone, letting it fall back on the cushions before bringing his hands up to his face and hiding behind them, breathing heavily through his fingers.

Well. That happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, something that I love about Danny is that he says he might need some distance from Steve (which, you know, it's understandable), but everyone knows that boy will not follow through with it at all xD 
> 
> Once again, I apologize for any mistakes. Trying my best not to make any, but you know how it goes.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of Danny’s day and evening went about pretty much the same way; a lot of trashy TV and whatever food he could find in the house, while the little voice inside his head tried to scream him into submission, into just being okay with the fact that his feelings were not reciprocated. And the surprising part of it was that it seemed to be working, at least one some level.

It helped though, that this was not a novel situation for him. At one point or another, in every relationship Danny had ever had in his life, he cared about someone more than they cared about him. He had some practice at stuffing his feelings deep inside and dealing with it by himself, he could do it again.

At some point early in the evening, while the sun was still in the sky and with some mindless show about what seemed to be sea creatures playing on the screen, Danny fell asleep. Before he let himself drift, Danny spared half a thought to the fact that he would have one hell of a crick on his neck the next day, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care.

What seemed like seconds later (but couldn’t really be, since it was pitch black outside), Danny woke up to his phone vibrating somewhere under his back. Danny reached for the phone, opening one of his eyes just enough to swipe at the screen to answer the call.

“Detective Williams,” he grumbled into the phone.

_”Danny?”_ Came Steve’s voice from the device. _”I’m sorry to wake you up, partner. HPD has a situation and they could use the help. Can you come with me? I could call one of the other guys, but…”_

“No, no,” Danny replied, pausing to clear his throat as he sat up on the couch. “It’s okay, I got it. What’s going on?”

_ _ _” I - hm, I’ll brief you, but… Could you stop by here? My vest is in your trunk and, I don’t know, it’d be easier to take just one car, right?”_ _ _

“And you get to drive my car, huh?” Danny teased, standing up to head to the bedroom and get dressed for the first time that day. He might as well start working on… getting things back to where they were.

_ __”Yeah, yeah,”_ __Danny could swear he could hear the relief in Steve’s chuckle.__ _”You get to rest and be driven around, stop complaining.”__ _

Danny snorted as he started reaching for his clothes. “Shuddup. You better have coffee. No butter, you Neanderthal.”

_ __”You’re missing out, but sure. We’ll have to take it to go, though. We’re meeting HPD around the Convention Center on Kalakaua._” __Steve replied.

_ _“Okay, I’ll see you in half an hour, tops.”_ _

_ ____________ _

The whole drive to Steve’s house was spent with Danny psyching himself up for being alone with his partner again. The journey to downtown Honolulu should take a bit longer than usual given that it was a Saturday night (even though the lights and siren might take care of any absurd traffic), so Danny should be prepared to spend quite a while in his relatively compact car with the person he was very much in love with. When said person knew about the aforementioned love. What could go wrong?

By the time he pulled up to Steve’s driveway, his partner was waiting outside with two travel mugs on his hands and a tentative smile on his face. Danny stopped the car but didn’t bother to shut it off before he exited and walked towards the passenger side. When Danny reached the door and opened it, Steve was standing right next to him and offering one of the travel mugs.

“Oh, Lord, thank you,” Danny exclaimed, grabbing the mug and immediately taking a large gulp and moaning loudly.

“Y-yeah, no problem,” Steve waved awkwardly at him before rushing over to the driver’s side, but not before Danny caught the funny look on his face.

Sighing softly, Danny settled himself on the seat and closed the door, waiting for Steve to start pulling out and away from the house before he spoke again.

“Alright, we need to talk,” he said, rather courageously, if he did say so himself.

“O-kay…”

Danny took a deep breath, one hand gripping his coffee mug tightly while the other one played with the seam of his pants, just so he’d have something to do.

“I know that I… threw you a curveball. Though in my defense I didn’t really know that was what I was going because -” Danny stopped himself. “That’s not important. My point is, I’m sorry that I dropped that on you. I shouldn’t have. I should have kept it to myself and just - dealt with it.”

“No, Danny,” Steve replied, shaking his head at him, but surprisingly keeping his eyes on the road. “I - you should have told me. You shouldn’t, you know, keep stuff to yourself. And you’re you, you talk about feelings and stuff. It’s - it’s okay. I - Thank you for telling me.”

Danny flushed and cleared his throat as he wiggled slightly in his seat. “Hm - yeah… You see, I need you to do something for me, please. I need you to… not overcompensate. I know that you are very goofy and you’re still feel the need to apologize, even though this is very much not your fault and I’m still gonna work on that with you. But for now, just… let me deal with it, okay? I can take care of myself. Just don’t treat me like glass just because you know how I feel about you.”

“Danno…” Steve started, pausing to take a deep breath. “I’ll try my best, okay? I just - I don’t wanna hurt you, okay? You are one of the most important people in the world to me and - I don’t want you to hurt.”

“See, I don’t want to make things awkward, babe, but that’s one of the reasons why I love you.” Danny turned around enough in his seat to throw Steve a sincere smile. “But here’s something that I need you to understand, Steve. It’s not your job to protect my feelings, okay? I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve hurt before and I’m probably gonna hurt a little still. But I’ll be fine. And if I’m not, I’ll find a way to deal with it.”

Danny could see Steve tilting his head slightly while he was talking, but his partner was quiet for a few minutes after he was finished. Danny just sat and waited, knowing that as much as he had things to figure out and work through, so did Steve.

“Can I… Can I ask you something?” Steve asked while he navigated the busy roads. “You don’t have to answer, of course.”

“Sure, bud,” Danny confirmed, resting his head back against the seat.

“Why did you… I mean. Hm. When did you… you know?”

“When did I fall for you?” Danny clarified, turning to look at Steve.

His partner just nodded and through the streetlights illuminating the inside of the car, Danny could see the light blush on his cheeks.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Danny replied, frowning to himself when he realized that was actually the truth. “You know, I… Since the beginning, I suppose. I had that stupid little thing with Rachel when the whole Charlie thing happened, but that never really felt right. I think I needed something familiar, some sort of family and I tried to make it work but there was something… missing. And, as we all know, I dropped all of that for you so, hm. Yeah.”

Steve cleared his throat and Danny paused to run his fingers through his hair, turning to look out the window. In for a penny, in for a pound, isn’t that how the saying goes?

“But… I think I first admitted to myself when North Korea happened. The thought of losing you, I just -. You know, I’ve been lying.”

“What do you mean?” Steve sounded confused and a little outraged, as if he thought the whole thing was a fabrication.

“I’ve still been saying that I haven’t puked since the 90s, but that is very much not true. The day we lost touch with you, when we didn’t know what was happening and Wo Fat had you, I just. Couldn’t handle it,” Danny explaining, his voice breaking at the end.

“Oh,” Steve replied quietly, for a second sounding like he was thinking really hard about something.

“Yeah, so, you know, don’t go getting yourself kidnapped or any stupid shit like that.”

“You know that I can’t really control the criminal activity around me, don’t you?” Steve’s voice got a bit louder and more natural, and Danny inwardly congratulated himself on a job well done.  
Danny shook his head and waved his finger at him. “You see, I know you say that, but I’m not sure I believe you. Let’s think back, shall we?”

The rest of their drive was spent bickering about laws and regulation, and Steve’s disregard for proper police procedure, with Danny doing most of the talking because, didn’t they want things to go back to normal, after all?

By the time they made it to the crime scene, Danny had a smile on his face and he could see a matching one of Steve’s and right in that moment he allowed himself to believe everything was going to be just fine in the end.

As they exited the car and made their way to the patrol cars flashing their lights, everything seemed a bit too calm to be an active crime scene and Danny’s smile turned to confusion as he looked around.

“Hey, Duke,” Steve called the Sergeant, getting Danny’s attention as well. “What’s going on?”

“Steve,” Duke turned around to face them, a sheepish look on his face. “I’m sorry, I forgot to call you again. We did have a situation, but it was… kind of resolved, about half an hour ago, I think? Guy let the hostages go and shot himself before we breached. Sorry you came all this way.”

Danny and Steve waved away the apology. “No worries,” Steve replied. “You sure you don’t need anything? No help with clean up?”

Before Danny could say anything, Duke was shaking his head at them. “No, no, we got this,” The Sergeant turned around when someone from inside the Convention Center called his name. “You boys get out of here, HPD has it under control. Sorry again, Commander.”

Duke jogged away from them even before he was done speaking and they just stared at each other, Danny shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels.

“Huh. That was anticlimactic.”

“Yeah, I guess we…. Didn’t need to come,” Steve shrugged, looking around them before waving back at the car. “Wanna get something to eat? There’s an all day breakfast place not far from here. My treat.”

“Ha!” Danny grinned at him. “Steve McGarrett paying for something? That I have to see.”

__________

Danny hadn’t thought that pleasant would be the word he would use to describe going out for breakfast with Steve in the middle of the night after everything that happened. But it actually wasn’t that bad at all.

Somehow, Danny was able to keep the conversation light, mainly talking about Grace and Charlie and what they wanted to do _as soon as we’re back home, Danno, I swear I’m gonna die if I don’t get malasadas and the loco moco from that one place_ and weren’t teenagers just wild and very capable of making Danny go crazy?

Every now and again, Steve would flash him that smile; the smile that started this whole thing. The smile that made Danny feel like he was the only person that ever made Steve happy. The smile that made Danny’s heart ache, made him fall in love with that oaf just that little bit more.

But Danny managed to move past it every time. He managed to not stutter, to not make things awkward and, the most surprising part of it all, he managed not to kiss Steve. And he was damn proud of himself.

Steve did indeed make good on his promise and covered their check before they headed out and, Danny didn’t quite know where the time went, but by the time they made it outside, he could see the sun peeking out. As a testament of the relatively good mood Danny was in, he didn’t even argue as he made his way to the passenger side of the car.

Danny wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t particularly dreading anything at the moment, but the Drive back to Steve’s felt like it took no time at all, and he groaned to himself as he got up, and he was too proud to admit he didn’t _really_ want to drive back home. But that was only because he was pleasantly full. That was all. Honestly.

When it was time for them to part ways and Steve to go inside, things got a bit on the wrong side of awkward again. Steve seemed trapped without knowing whether to wave at Danny, shake his hand or hug him, and the confused frown on his face was so adorable it was painful. So Danny rolled his eyes at him and took control of that particular situation.

“Come here, you doofus,” Danny reached for Steve’s arm and pulled him in for a hug.

And that’s when things went to hell.

Because when they were close like this, Danny couldn’t really ignore himself anymore. He couldn’t ignore how unbelievably right he fit in Steve’s arms, how tight Steve’s arms felt around his waist, how he was at the perfect height to sneak his face against Steve’s neck. And that’s what he did. And then he couldn’t help the sniff, because Steve’s smell was probably his favorite thing in this whole stupid and cruel world and how on Earth can Danny resist it?

“Oh, crap, fucking shit,” Danny whispered, pulling away from Steve and shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“D-Danny, what-” Steve started, though Danny didn’t let him finish.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to - I know that you don’t lo- I mean -” Danny stuttered, reaching behind himself for the open car door and moving around it. “I should not take advantage and - you don’t - you don’t want me doing that and, and I - Steve, I’m sorry. I can’t do this, I just - I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Danny got every word out as fast as he could before getting into the car and slamming the door. Since Steve was so much freaking taller than he was, the seat was uncomfortable and he had to scoot way to the front, but right now Danny didn’t care and he just took off out of the driveway as fast as he could without injuring himself or anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. Sorry about the delay, I've been in the hospital and I'm supposed to be on bed rest and I'm really sick so. Yeah. Still working on things, though! I want to finish this story sooooon.
> 
> Anyway. For the people who told me I've been making them cry xD  
Next chapter is Steve POV and he's starting to realize some things... So the happy times are coming! Fret not, the boys will be together and sickeningly happy and fluffy and all that good stuff. 
> 
> And, as always, thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand here we go again.
> 
> This chapter is Steve's POV and it's a little bit shorter than the other ones, but we're getting to the good stuff soon, so please bear with me.

It was funny how Steve never saw the events that would change his life coming. His mom “dying”; coming home from school and his dad saying he was sending both his kids to the mainland; that one time he had his first one night stand with a guy and his whole world opened up; his dad actually dying; a certain blond detective bursting into his dad’s garage and pointing a gun at his face.

So when he sat at his desk going through his emails at the end of the day, he really didn’t see another one of those events approaching.

Steve was replying to an email from his Gracie, the teenager asking if she could come over to his beach when they made it back home. Apparently London was way too chilly and Grace desperately wanted some sunlight. So Steve was in a good mood, a smile on his face as he planned the whole weekend in advance. But before he could get too ahead of himself, Danny walked in. And said… _things._ Things Steve never saw coming. Things Steve didn’t know to expect at all. Things Steve had no idea how to deal with.

He remembered saying something in response. Remembered mumbling his words as his brain still tried to work through, the gears way too slow for his liking. He also remembered Danny bolting out of the room at the first opportunity, using the call coming into Steve’s phone as an excuse. The call actually dropped before Steve had a chance to answer it (which he was somewhat grateful for, given the fact that since Catherine had left him, he wasn’t really in the mood to talk to her, since he already knew she was as safe as she could be), and he jumped up from his chair and out of the office once he recognized that Danny was gone. Though he was too late to catch Danny before he drove away.

Steve spent the next couple of hours trying to contact Danny, even though the only thing he got back was a message saying he was fine and would see him on Monday. For Steve, though, that wasn’t enough. That night was one of the longest he had ever experienced, trapped between giving Danny the space he asked for and telling his best friend that he loved him, he loved him so much, even if it wasn’t the way Danny wanted him to.

After dozing on and off all night long in front of the TV and clutching his phone in his hands, Steve finally called Danny when he knew his partner would not be awake. Between catching Danny on the phone and not talking to him until Monday, leaving a voicemail was an acceptable compromise, no?

Once the message was sent, Steve forced himself to go for a swim, pushing himself more than usual as he let his mind run wild. He had never thought of Danny like that. It was never an option in his mind. Danny was straight, had been married, had a kid, had had a girlfriend until just a while ago. Danny was passionate and wild and larger than life. Danny wore his heart on his sleeve and didn’t shy away from his feelings. If Danny was in love with him, wouldn’t Steve know?

Wouldn’t he feel the same?

The rest of the day was spent much the same way: forcing himself to do something (working on his car, working on paperwork, cooking), while he searched his mind for signs he missed in the last four or five years.

It took him as a bit of a shock when his phone rang and Danny’s name showed up on the screen and he very much did not almost dropped the phone in his rush to answer it. The conversation was short, and uncomfortable and Steve spent the whole time feeling like there was a giant ball of lead in his gut, wanting to comfort Danny, wanting to make it better, but not really knowing how to accomplish that.

Steve would never, ever be grateful for someone being hurt or someone being in trouble but the moment he got the call from Duke he couldn’t help but appreciate the opportunity to be with Danny. After a not-as-awkward-as-he-thought-it-would-be talk in the car, the rest of the night felt a bit more like they were them again, even if there was no more case and no official reason for them to be hanging out anymore.

Everything was going well, as far as Steve was aware, until it was time for them to go their separate ways again. Standing in front of his house, Steve wasn’t quite sure what Danny would be comfortable with (a hug, a handshake, a wave?), but before he could think too much on it, his partner was pulling him in for a hug.

Steve loved hugging Danny. It was probably his favorite activity, though Danny would argue that it was actually getting shot at. Hugging Danny just felt… right. Danny fit in his arms better than anyone ever did, he was warm and compact and at the perfect height for Steve to rest his head on his and everything felt good again. Until Danny pushed him away and left before Steve could even understand what was going on, and he felt empty and incomplete again.

__________

It wasn’t that surprising to realize that Danny knew Steve’s schedule as well as Steve knew his, because his partner chose the exact time Steve was getting his morning swim on to call and leave a message early on Monday morning.

_“Hm, hey. So - I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t - I didn’t mean to make things bad or anything, I just. I thought it would be okay. Us, being together all the time like we usually are, and I was trying, it’s just. It might be a little too much right now, you know? So I need to… I don’t know, try new stuff. At least for a little while, okay? Until I don’t want to… do things to you I’m not really allowed to. Just give me a bit, okay? I can be your friend, I can be the best fucking friend in the world, just… maybe take your own car to work today? I’ll see you there, okay? I love you, buddy.”_

The voicemail came to an end and it was only then that Steve realized the tightness in his chest. He didn’t want to be away from Danny, didn’t want that distance. He wanted Danny close like always, he wanted the quiet nights with pizza and beer and a baseball game on TV, the loud nights with Grace and Charlie running around his house, even the dark nights after a bad case when all they did was sit around feeling bad for themselves.

However, Steve knew deep down that forcing himself on Danny at this point would hurt him. And the thing was, even more than wanting Danny by himself, Steve wanted him to be okay. So give him distance was the answer, apparently.

Through his whole morning routine before heading into work, Steve gave himself the same pep talk. That things would get better soon, that they would find a way to be okay again, that he wasn’t going to lose his best friend over this and they just needed to be patient.

And it worked for a while, until he got to the office. Everyone was already there and around the tech table and Steve did his very best to give them a smile that hopefully didn’t look as fake as it felt.

“Morning, everyone,” Steve greeted them, watching as Lou and Chin turned around towards him, while the other two were already facing his way.

“Yo, boss,” Kono called out, pointing at a mugshot on the screen. “Danny got a tip that that guy has something on that drug that disappeared from lock up a couple months ago.”

“Yup, so we’re gonna go ask him about it and should be back soon,” Danny interjected, pointing at Kono and himself.

“Oh, you - you two?” Steve asked, the smile sliding right off his face. _But that’s my partner_, the little voice inside his head piped up.

  
“We’ll be back in a few hours,” Danny replied, a small smile on his face as he put his arm on Kono’s back and lead her towards the exit.

Steve stood there and watched as they walked out, the tightness in his chest making a comeback as he saw Kono whispering something in Danny’s ear and his partner laughing as he held the door open for her.

“Hey, man,” Lou said, waving his hand at Steve, who was apparently rubbing at his chest and hadn’t even noticed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve replied, forcing out another smile as he let his hand dropped and he walked to his office. “I’m good. Got some work to do.”

__________

It was a bit of a lost cause, trying to get any sort of work done but Steve had to at least put up appearances and make it _look_ like he was trying to do anything remotely professional. Instead, all he kept thinking about was Danny.

When he actually thought about it, Steve realized how much of his life was actually intertwined with Danny’s. Danny was the first person he wanted to talk to when something was good, and he was the first person Steve wanted to ask for help when things were bad. Danny was the reason Steve loved being around kids now (though, you know, that was probably because Danny just happened to have the best kids Steve had ever met). Steve always wanted Danny close, and time passed by really slowly whenever they were apart and all Steve could do was stare and the clock and keep track of when he could see Danny again. It also felt weird whenever Steve knew Danny was with some girl, like he could _guarantee_ he’d make sure Danny was having a better time than any of them and -

_ Oh, Jesus fucking Christ,_ Steve dropped the pen he forgot he was even holding. _Why didn’t I know I’m in love with my best friend?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> And thank you for waiting on the chapter and stuff. I'm still ill, but at least I've been spending more time at home than in hospitals for the last few days, so things are looking up.
> 
> Let me tell you, needing the emergency room like 5 times in a month (which included two different episodes of blood transfusions) really takes it out of you. 
> 
> Anyway, next chapter shouldn't take as long, hopefully. 
> 
> See you all soon <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience! 
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter, good things are coming! :)

It really was just Danny’s luck that the person they thought they were just going to interview turned out to be a tweaked out junkie in a very loving relationship with an incredibly sharp knife. 

Kono managed to kick their brand-new suspect into submission, but not before Danny got very up close and personal with his shiny metal friend. The knife got caught in between his forearm and bicep when his elbow was bent, so he had two matching cuts that were rapidly starting to sting. 

“Aw, damn it,” he muttered to himself, feeling the blood seeping into his shirt. “Grace got me this shirt.”

He was not pouting, thank you very much. 

Kono was already on the phone calling for a bus and Danny ripped out the sleeve that was already shredded to put some pressure on his wound as he walked outside, sparing half a second to glare at the perp on the ground. 

That was just what he needed today, wasn’t it?

It didn’t take long for the ambulance and a couple of patrol cars from HPD to arrive and before Danny knew it, he was getting bandaged as he watched the officers dragging the junkie outside. Kono was standing next to him, a pinched look on her face as she glanced at his bloody shirt. 

“Not your fault, babe,” Danny said as he shook his head at her. “I know you’re Wonder Woman, but we all know how junkies are crazy and unpredictable. And I’m fine. Don’t even need stitches or anything, right?” Danny finished, glaring at the EMT as if daring him to say otherwise. 

“No stitches, Detective, but you should get it checked out by your doctor in the next few days,” he replied, finishing up the last of the bandages and stepping back.

“Yes, yes, will do. Can we go now?” Danny asked, already standing up and fiddling with his keys. 

Before he could do anything else, though, Kono grabbed the keys out of his hands in a very McGarrett move that he didn’t even see coming.

“You’re not driving. I already had an officer take my car to HQ,” she was already walking away from the ambulance and towards the Camaro, leaving Danny sputtering after her. 

“What in the - thank you, buddy,” Danny took a second to thank the EMT before he was rushing after Kono. What was is with crazy Hawaiians not letting him drive his own car?

__________

Danny was barely two feet into the office when Steve spotted him and went from relaxed to Aneurism Face in about a third of a second. Danny stopped in his tracks as Kono whispered “good luck” and kept walking straight to the tech table to stand next to Chin and Lou.

“What the hell happened to you?” Steve asked, covering the distance between them in two steps, hands immediately reaching for the two bandages on Danny’s arm.

“Hey, calm down, SuperSEAL,” Danny used his free hand to wave at him. “Just a junkie with a knife, didn’t do much damage. Didn’t even need stitches or anything. HPD has got him, I’m gonna wait until it’s out of his system to question him.”

Steve didn’t say anything, he just kept his hands roaming Danny’s arm until he made sure that everything looked right. But Danny knew his silences and his faces, knew what they meant and what was bothering his partner right now almost as much as the injuries themselves.

“I didn’t call you because it was not a big deal. He was subdued pretty easily and the bus and HPD came in very fast and then everything was done, babe. There was no reason and no time to call and then we were coming back, so.”

Still, Steve didn’t say anything, just spared a glare to Danny before he looked back down at the blood stains on his shirt.

“Hey, don’t you look at me in that tone of voice. I’m fine, really.”

It took a few seconds, but Steve finally said something, though it wasn’t directed at Danny. The SEAL turned towards the rest of the team, a frown still on his face.

“I’m taking Danny home.”

“Hey, wait up, what are you talking about?” Danny interjected, hand reaching out to grab Steve’s forearm. “I just said I’m fine, I can still do my job.”

Steve turned back to him, his frown smoothing out slightly and there was something on his face that Danny couldn’t quite figure out and that shut him up. 

“I can see on your face that you’re hurting,” Steve said in a low voice, and damn him for knowing Danny so well. “And I know you won’t take anything for it if you’re still working. We don’t have a pressing case right now and your suspect is detoxing at HPD.”

Steve let out a soft sigh, a pleading look on his face that hit Danny in the gut and punched any objection right out of him. 

“Please, Danno… let me take you home,” Steve finished, and Danny knew there was no way he could actually say no to that now. 

“Get out of here, you guys,” Lou said, waving them away. “We got this. We’ll let you know if something comes up. “

Looking between Steve and the rest of the team, Danny knew that even if he voiced any complaints, he was outnumbered. And Steve still had the boss card to play. So he just sighed and nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” he said, turning towards his office. “Lemme just get my stuff, will you?”

Grabbing his computer and the bag with his sandwich that were still sitting on his desk, Danny watched as Steve got his keys from Kono and, in the privacy of his own office, he allowed himself a relieved sigh. Danny would be caught dead before admitting it, but he wanted Steve to drive today. His arm was throbbing and, while he would manage on his own if he had to, he didn’t really want to try. 

“Okay, I’m ready,” Danny announced, coming out of his office and already walking towards the exit, using his free arm to wave at his teammates. He walked out, Steve right next to him and damn it if that didn’t feel right. 

__________

The first part of the drive was spent in silence, at least until Danny realized that Steve was taking them to his house, not Danny’s.

“Hmmm,” Danny started, turning on the seat to look at Steve. “My house is the other way, babe.”

Steve shook his head at him. “I’m taking you to my place. I gotta - see, I don’t want you doing stuff with that arm and I have food and beer so I can cook for us and - and. I gotta take care of you, okay?”

By the time Steve was done talking, his voice had dropped down to barely above a whisper and, if Danny wasn’t mistaken, there was a bit of a flush on the cheek he could see. 

“Steve…” Danny started, looking out the windshield. “Look, I don’t - I never wanted things to be awkward between us, and if you’re just trying to like, overcompensate or something, or make it up to me or something stupid like that, just stop, okay?” 

“Danny, no,” Steve interrupted. “That’s not - that’s not what this is, it’s just.” Steve paused while he pulled to the driveway and shut off the car. “Just let me do this, okay? We can talk later tonight.”

Danny decided not to argue and just sighed and nodded at his partner, before reaching for the door. The whole action of getting out of the car strained his arm and Danny wince, muttering a curse under his breath as he closed the door behind himself. 

Before Danny knew it, he was sitting outside on the lanai, a tall glass of cold water in his hands as he waited for Steve to come back with some pain medicine. Danny had asked where the hell his beer was and Steve had admitted that it had been only an incentive to get Dany to come over, and he wouldn’t be getting any because of the meds. Needless to say that if Steve hadn’t taken the first opportunity to flee the room, Danny would still be ranting. 

As it stood, Danny had his water and the promise of food and medication coming up, so overall he was feeling pretty okay. If a little confused. Because there was something about Steve that Danny couldn’t quite out his finger on. Every now and again his partner would look at him like he was thinking very hard about something, and then like he wanted to say something but didn’t quite know how to go about it. Danny wasn’t sure how long he could wait before he asked what was going on.

“Here you go,” Steve announced as he walked out, a couple of pills in his hand. “There’s some pain meds leftover from last month, and some antibiotics. At least until I can take you to see your doctor.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Danny took the pills and washed them down with half of his water, before turning back to look at Steve as the SEAL settle on the chair next to him. “So, what’s going on with you?”

Turns out the answer for how long could Danny wait was not at all. 

In Steve’s defense, he didn’t even try to pretend he didn’t have something on his mind.

“Look, Danno,” he started after a long sigh. “I don’t… I don’t want the - the distance thing. I just - I don’t want you to be partnered with someone else, I don’t wanna not see you in the morning, don’t want to - don’t want to be apart from you.”

“Oh, babe,” Danny rubbed his face with both hands, shifting himself and the chair so he was facing Steve, scooting to the edge of the chair. “I don’t - I don’t want to make things even more weird, but I just - you don’t understand and I… Can I be painfully honest?”

Steve looked up to stare right in Danny’s eyes before nodding forcefully, mirroring Danny’s position until their knees were pressed together.

“Look. I don’t really want to be apart from you either. But what you don’t understand is that every time I see you or I talk to you or you smile at me, I fall in love with you a little bit more. It’s just - it’s a little insane how stupid I am over you. It’s - it’s just -” Danny stopped to take a deep breath. “It’s really fucking hard to be around you when all I want to do is kiss you.”

“Then kiss me.”


	7. Chapter 7

Danny could have sworn his brain short circuited for a bit there. He wasn’t sure if he was quiet for just a few seconds or maybe a couple of hours and he couldn’t really find it in himself to care.

“What… What did you just say?” He asked slowly.

“Kiss me.”

Danny let out a harsh breath, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head into his hands. “Steve, I - look, I don’t - I don’t know what you’re going for here, but if you’re just indulging me, or making fun of me or-”

“Danny, no!” Steve interrupted, sounding so offended that Danny couldn’t help but feel relieved. “Can you - can you look at me?”

Danny lifted his head, very much aware of the moisture gathering in his eyes as he forced himself to look at Steve, the earnest expression on his partner’s face taking his breath away for the second time in about five minutes. 

“Look, Danno,” Steve started, scotting forward another inch. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting to hear what you said. I didn’t… see that coming at all. I mean,” he took a break to rub at his forehead. “I’ve - I’ve been thinking. I haven’t stopped thinking. Because, because I just. So, here’s what I realized. I can’t be without you. I can’t imagine my life without you, Danno. And these past few days I haven’t seen you as much as - as much as I’ve wanted to and I realized, I realized that I don’t like that. Days don’t really feel… complete, if I don’t see you. You make things better, you know? You make everything better. Even when you’re yelling at me, or - or when we’re just bored doing paperwork or getting shot at, I just. You make it all better.”

“I realized that I don’t want you with anyone else. That I want you to just be with you, I want to make you smile and have you and the kids over and I want to go on dates with you and I want to hug you on the couch and hold your hand when we’re out and I didn’t know those were things that I wanted, but I want them so fucking bad, Danno. So I need you to kiss me. Please.” 

By the time Steve was done talking he was almost out of breath, which was quite a feat, all things considered. 

“I - I think that’s - that’s the most I ever heard you talk at one time.” Danny said, blinking softly. 

“Really? That’s your what you have to say after I just - mrrph”

Steve wasn’t done, but all of a sudden he had a very compact detective attached to his lips and there was not much he could do other than wrap his arms around him. Danny threw his arms around Steve’s shoulders and all but straddled him, pushing Steve back until he was resting against the chair. 

Even with all that speech, part of Danny still wasn’t sure when he would have an opportunity like this again, so he decided to give his all and take everything he could. So, with a soft sigh into the kiss, Danny probbed at Steve’s lips with the tip of his tongue until he was granted passage, and he was rewarded by a choked out moan coming from Steve. It didn’t really make sense that his gigantic control freak of a partner would let Danny take charge of the kiss, but he wasn’t about to complain. Danny kissed him deeply, sliding his hands to cup the back of Steve’s neck, the warmth of his skin traveling all the way up his arms, and he could feel Steve gripping his hips and had to hold back from grinding down on his lap.

Before Danny could get too lost into it, however, Steve pulled back. Danny whined softly, chasing his mouth to steal another peck, smiling as he heard Steve’s low chuckle.

“Wait, Danno, wait a second,” Steve said, their mouths still brushing together, only far enough so his words weren’t muffled. 

“What?” Danny whined again, tilting his head slightly to pepper kisses on Steve’s chin and back to the corner of his mouth. 

“I haven’t said the most important part yet,” Steve replied, his voice just on the very edge of frustrated. 

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.” 

It was simple. And easy. He said it like it was just one of the undeniable truths of the universe. The sky is blue, Hawaii is hot, Kono is scary with a rifle, Steve loves Danny. 

Danny let out a shaky breath, pressing his forehead against Steve’s. “Say it again, please.”

“I love you, Danny.” Steve whispered again.

Danny pulled back, his eyes staring straight into Steve and he smiled widely. He could see that he meant it, he knew Steve like the back of his hand and he could see in every inch of his face that he wasn’t just saying it and he wanted this. He wanted <i>them.</i>

“Jesus, you’re gonna be the death of me,” Danny mumbled, leaning in again. 

Their second kiss was a bit slower, a bit softer. Danny didn’t really feel the urge to do everything all at once anymore, because he was beginning to realize that maybe this would last longer than just tonight. So he wanted to savor it. He wanted to appreciate how well they fit together, how smooth Steve’s tongue felt dancing with his own, how tight Steve was holding on to him and how warm his hands felt against his waist. 

Danny kissed him until his jaw started to feel slightly sore, until he was feeling slightly out of breath; but most importantly, Danny kissed him until he could feel Steve’s erection pressing against his groin and he shifted his hips to press down on it, being rewarded by a gasped moan coming from the man under him. 

“Hey there, sailor,” Danny chuckled, grinding down again, very much aware of his own cock and how much it was straining against his pants.

“Ugh, Danno,” Steve grumbled, wincing at Danny’s choice of words before grinning up at him. 

“What? Technically, you are a sailor…” Danny teased, stealing a few more quick kisses as he chuckled. 

It had been quite a long time since he was so comfortable with someone to laugh and be silly while also still being this turned on. Danny always believe that really good sex, really good connection, could only happen if you’re comfortable and intimate enough with another person to be able to be giggle in the middle of sex and for that to just be part of the mood. Whenever he let himself go a bit too much and think about how he imagined things would go with Steve, he always thought it would be like that. 

It felt good to know he was right. 

“Now, see, you’re just being cheesy,” Steve shook his head, his arms travelling up and down Danny’s back. 

“Excuse you, I’m giving you some of my best work here,” Danny interjected, taking the opportunity to grind down against Steve again, grinning wildly as Steve moaned and shifted his hips up to chase the friction. 

“You big tease,” Steve whined, pulling Danny tighter against him. 

“It’s only teasing if I don’t plan to follow through, babe,” Danny argued, leaning to kiss him again, hot and wet and soft and urgent all at once. 

“Danno, Danno,” Steve broke the kiss, still hugging Danny close and not really willing to let him go farther than that. “As much as I very much want to keep doing this, we’re not really twenty anymore. And you have a bad knee. And you’re injured. Maybe we should… move this somewhere more comfortable?”

“Now who’s the one with the cheesy lines?”

“Shut up.”

They untangled themselves slowly, Steve reaching to help Danny get up without hurting himself even more. Even though these touches were very much tamer than the ones happening just seconds ago, the feeling of Steve’s hand on his skin still made Danny shiver, a permanent smile on his face as they moved together inside, turning off lights and closing doors. 

It didn’t take long until they had everything locked up and made their way upstairs and into Steve’s room, but as soon as that happened, Danny’s nerves were back in full force. And as much as Danny went on and on about Steve’s faces, it seemed like his partner could read him just as well, giving the soft smile he was given. 

“Come here,” Steve said, reaching for Danny’s uninjured arm and pulling him into a hug. 

“I’m here, I’m here” Danny mumbled, sliding his arms around Steve’s waist and burying his face on his neck. 

“You know, we don’t have to do anything, yeah?” Steve whispered, holding him and leaning his head to rest against Danny’s. 

“No, I do - I want - I want everything with you, I just -” Danny didn’t quite know how to get what he was thinking across. He talked a lot, everyone knew that, but sometimes the more words he tried to say the less he could get to his point and right now it felt like it was too important to fumble it.

“Can I take a guess?” Steve asked, his hands sliding up to Danny’s nape and he started to play with the hair there as Danny nodded. “You’re still a little scared. You poured your heart all out to me and I was stupid and blind and I hurt you. And you still think a little bit that I’m just humoring you and that I might just want sex and then pretend it never happened or string you along while you’re in love with me and I just love you like a friend and might a with-benefits situation out of this. Am I close?”

While speaking, Steve kept his voice soft and warm, and there was no accusation in his tone, but Danny still felt guilty. He pulled away from Steve just enough to unearth his face and look up at him.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I know you wouldn’t - you wouldn’t lie to me. And I don’t want to think like this, I really don’t. But you… you know how my head works, babe. You know that I always go to the worst case scenario and, see, that’s something else, why would you want anything to do with me when that’s how I work and it’s just -”

“Danno, breathe,” Steve interrupted, leaning to brush a light kiss on Danny’s forehead before bumping their noses together. “I’ve had years of practice with how your brain works. And that’s never scared me away before, it’s not gonna start now. I’m - I’m really sorry that I hurt you, Danny. I’m so sorry and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell you just how much.”

“Look,” Steve continued, his forehead pressed against Danny’s. “You know… You know that I don’t really have that many people in my life. And… People leave a lot. And you are the most important person to me, bar none. Can you trust me that I wouldn’t risk this, wouldn’t risk us, if I wasn’t sure? I never, ever want to lose you from my life. Doesn’t matter if we’re friends, or more than that. Can you trust that?”

“Yeah,” Danny nodded, smiling as he dropped a kiss on Steve’s jaw. “Of course I trust that. I trust you.”

“As for the rest… I guess I’m just gonna have to stick around. And that’ll convince you.” Steve finished, bringing one of his hands to the side of Danny’s face so he could kiss him again.

The kiss started out soft and slow and Danny couldn’t help but to melt into it, grateful that Steve was there to hold him up. Steve’s tongue snuck into his mouth and Danny sighed, pressing his hands firmly against Steve’s back and pressing himself snugly into him. Danny’s erection, which had flagged during that conversation, came back with such force that made him a little dizzy and he couldn’t hold back the moan, though it was immediately swallowed by Steve’s mouth. 

“Babe,” Danny whispered against his lips. “I love you and I love this, but you are way too insanely tall for this to be comfortable for much longer. And… you know, there’s a bed right over there.”

“Smooth, Danno,” Steve snickered, leading them towards the bed without breaking the hug. 

“Hey, you’re the Smooth Dog here,” Danny said, trying to focus on not tripping, as opposed to focusing on the soft hardness against his stomach. Next thing he knew, he was being dropped onto the mattress, Steve towering over him with a wide grin on his face. 

“Now, where were we?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand the smut is coming next chapter!   
So, if the sexy times is not your cup of tea, please skip the chapter, don't wanna make anyone feel bad, okay?
> 
> Love. <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright.
> 
> Sorry about the wait, things got crazy for a little bit. 
> 
> This chapter is basically all smut, so if you don't wanna read about two boys having sex, please skip it. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Danny rolled his eyes at Steve and snorted, though he still had a large smile on his face as he looked up at the Navy man. 

“You are such a dork, I don’t even know why I love you, I swear to God,” Danny said, sitting up and sliding forward to the edge of the bed until his feet were on the floor and he could reach for Steve. 

“You know, I’m just here trying to get naked and you’re calling me names, that’s not very nice,” Steve replied, his large hand cupping the back of Danny’s neck.

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny said, twisting his head slightly so he could brush a soft apologetic kiss against his partner’s arm. 

Leaning forward, Danny slid his hands under Steve’s shirt and up his back, dragging the fabric with him until it was all bunched up under Steve’s arms. Getting with the program, Steve lifted his arms and they quickly got rid of the shirt, giving Danny unlimited access to the soft skin he had been dreaming about for years now. Without losing any more time, Danny peppered kisses along the hard muscles on Steve’s abdomen as his hands slid back down his back until they reached the waistband of the pants he very much wanted to get rid of next. 

Danny dragged his teeth across Steve’s skin and smirked when he heard the small gasp coming from somewhere above his head. Moving swiftly, Danny brought his hand around to Steve’s front and made quick work of his fly before shoving the pants down. 

“Commando, babe? Really?” Danny chuckled as Steve’s cock was released, leaning back to look at his partner.

“You know, easy access and all,” Steve replied feigning light heartedness, though Danny could see the blush that covered his skin all the way down to his chest. 

“Well, I can tell you that it is very much appreciated,” Danny winked at him before letting his eyes fall back to Steve’s crotch. 

Unable to help himself, Danny let out a low groan at his first proper look at Steve’s erection. His partner’s dick jutting straight out towards him, flushed a deep red and with a small bead of moisture gathering on the slit. 

Danny wrapped a hand around Steve’s cock, glancing up just enough to see the other man screwing his eyes shut as he moaned softly. Satisfied with the response he was getting so far, Danny leaned to lap at the pre-come weeping out of Steve, humming quietly at the taste as his hand started to stroke.

“Jesus Christ, Danny,” Steve choked out, his hand reaching to cup Danny’s head, not pushing one way or the other, just holding on to him. 

Spurred on by his lover’s appreciation, Danny hollowed his cheeks as he sucked on Steve’s cock, taking more of it into his mouth inch by inch until he could feel the hair tickling his nose. Steve cursed and Danny smiled around him, sneaking his free hand between Steve’s leg and spreading them a bit more. Since there was no lubrication, and the last thing Danny wanted to do was hurt Steve, he limited himself to just rubbing at his partner’s puckered hole, moaning softly at the thought of Steve squeezing around him. 

“Fuck, Danny,” Steve groaned, shivering as his other hand dropped to Danny’s shoulder and he wondered just how much longer his legs would be able to hold him up. “I have no idea how you do that to me, but  _ ohmyjesusfuckingchrist  _ I’m so close already, so close. Babe, please.” 

Steve’s speech turned into wordless mumbles and Danny bobbed his head faster, his tongue rolling around Steve’s dick as one hand played with his balls, the other one still teasing at his entrance. Danny hummed again, glancing up at Steve, his eyes screaming for him to come in his mouth, to let Danny taste him. 

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, a slight hint of concern on his face as his thumb rubbed circles on Danny’s skin.

Danny nodded happily, taking Steve all the way in again. Steve’s cock throbbed in his mouth before he erupted, his come hitting the back of Danny’s throat and he swallowed it all with a smirk. Danny was half aware of Steve screaming his name, but most of him was overwhelmed at the taste of Steve in his mouth and he could feel his own dick leaking into his pants. Danny wondered if he could come just from this, but before he could investigate it further, Steve seemed to gain the ability to speak once more.

“Shit, Danny, c’mere,” Steve mumbled, but before Danny could even move, Steve kneeling at the foot of the bed, reaching for his face and slamming their mouths together. 

Danny growled into the kiss, pressing his palm down against his straining cock, trying not to come in his pants like a horny teenager. He couldn’t do much more than that, though, because Steve reached for his hand and pulled it away, squeezing it gently. 

“That’s mine, Danno,” he whispered against Danny’s lips with a smile. 

“Yours, huh?” Danny laughed softly, squeezing Steve’s hand back and nuzzling his nose against his partner’s jaw. “Are you getting a little possessive there, babe?”

“What are you talking about?” Steve replied, his hands working Danny’s pants open and slipping inside. “I’ve always been possessive, you know that.”

As Steve talked, he wrapped his hand around Danny’s cock firmly, brushing a kiss against the side of his mouth when Danny moaned loudly in response and let his eyes drop closed. “And you’re mine. All mine,” Steve continued, starting to stroke Danny’s dick slowly. Way too slow. 

“Babe, please…” Danny begged, one hand reaching for Steve’s arm, holding on for dear life as he tried his best to keep his hips still. 

“C’mon, up,” Steve urged him, hands pulling at his pants. 

Danny lifted off the bed, pulling his own shirt off as Steve shoved his pants and underwear down so quickly that Danny could see what the “Smooth” was all about. The need to tease his partner went out the window, though, because as soon as his hands were free, Steve was touching him again. 

Steve wrapped a hand around Danny’s cock, the other one fingering the heavy balls underneath as Danny groaned softly between hard breaths. “You wanna fuck me, Danno?”

“Oh fuck, babe,” Danny moaned, looking down at Steve. Stupid Steve with his stupid grin and stupid eyes that just made Danny want to kiss him until they couldn’t breathe anymore. “But - but you… already -”

“Oh, trust me,” Steve started, shaking his head. “It’s been a while and it’s you, babe. I’m gonna get hard again very, very soon.”

And damn it, if that wasn’t the hottest thing Danny had ever heard.

“Then yeah. Fuck yeah, Steve. If you’re sure, yeah. There’s nothing I want more than to be inside you,” Danny whispered with a smile, hand reaching to stroke Steve’s cheek. “Except maybe have you pounding me into the bed.”

“Maybe next time, sweetheart,” Danny beamed at him, manhandling Danny to lie down in the middle of the bed before draping himself over him to reach the bedside table. 

Steve grabbed the lube and dropped it on the bed before pausing with the condoms in his hand, half out of the drawer. “ I… hm, I’m clean. Are you -”

“I’m good, babe.”

“Good, that’s good. Cause I wanna feel you in me. Is that okay?”

Danny nodded with a wide smile, reaching for Steve and thrusting his hips up so his dick rubbed against his partner’s hip. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s more than okay. C’mere.”

He pulled Steve down until he could kiss him again, Danny’s hand cupping the back of his neck and holding him close. Danny smiled when he could feel Steve’s cock twitching against his stomach, filling up again quite nicely. He reached down between their bodies and wrapped a hand around Steve, being rewarded with a low hiss coming from his partner as he pulled back from the kiss. 

“Danny, Danny, god,” Steve breathed out, raising himself to rest on his elbows. 

“Look,” Steve brushed another quick kiss against Danny’s lips before he pulled back even more and settled on his legs. “Next time, I want your fingers in me and you prepping me and everything that comes with it. But right now your arm is injured and I’m so fucking close again. Already. Can I just do it? So, so you can fuck me?”

Danny chuckled at Steve’s eagerness and, even though he wanted to argue with that, he realized it was probably their best choice, given the fact that his arm was a bit out of commission. “Yeah, babe. Go ahead, lemme watch you.”

“Oh, thank God,” Steve blurted out, resting on his knees and reaching for the lube, making quick work of coating his fingers. 

Danny watched as Steve reached behind himself, letting out a soft moan at the gasp coming from his partner that he knew meant Steve had at least one finger inside of himself, and Danny was trapped between feeling jealous and incredibly aroused. 

“Danny, Danny,” Steve panted, slipping another slick finger past his puckered hole and stretching himself, thrusting back against his hand with his hard cock slapping against his stomach. 

“Babe, you’re killing me here,” Danny replied, left hand reaching down to tug at his ball to hold back his orgams, his eyes moving from Steve’s face to where his hands disappeared behind his body. 

“Not yet, “ Steve shook his head, slipping his fingers free and leaning over Danny again. “I’m not done with you yet, sweetheart.”

Steve reached for the lube again and slicked Danny’s cock, positioning himself right on top of it and holding on as he guided his partner to slide inside of him. When the head of Danny’s dick breached Steve, he growled and stopped for a second, getting used to the feeling; Danny was thicker than Steve thought and he breathed through it before sinking down some more. 

“Babe,” Danny whispered. “This is gonna be embarrassing and I promise I’ll do better next time, but I’m not gonna last too long.”

Steve took a deep breath and, in the exhale, he took all of Danny inside of him until he could feel the detective’s balls against his ass. Danny moaned loudly when Steve moved, his eyes rolling back inside his head. 

“That’s okay,” Steve nodded at Danny, leaning to nuzzle his nose against Danny’s. “I don’t last long the second time either. We have time. We have all the time, baby.”

As Steve spoke, he started moving on Danny’s dick, his ass smacking against his ass. Steve brushed kisses against Danny’s slack jaw, smiling softly at the pleasure he could see all over his face. With each downward stroke, Steve clenched around Danny and the blond jerked under him.

“Fuckfuckfuck, goddamn it, Steve,” Danny reached for Steve’s hip with his uninjured arm, gripping tightly as he thrust up. 

“C’mon, baby,” Steve urged him. “Come for me, yeah? I wanna feel you.”

“So close, fuck, babe, so close,” Danny buried himself to the hilt inside of Steve, his head thrown back as he thrust up once more before he was coming. Every nerve ending felt on fire as he spilled into his partner, he could feel Steve all around him and for the first time in a very long time, Danny felt nothing but comfortable. And safe. 

“Jesus fuck, Danny,” Steve all but yelled, grinding down against Danny and coming again, much less this time but strong enough to make him collapse on top of Danny, breathing heavily and tucking his face against Danny’s neck. 

Danny wrapped his arms around Steve’s midsection, turning his face slightly to kiss the side of his head before laying back down, taking a few seconds to just breathe. Steve moved enough to slip Danny’s soft dick from his ass before settling down again, half on top of Danny, come slowly leaking out of his hole. 

“I promise,” Danny started. “I promise that I’m gonna take care of the cleanup in just a second. But you broke me a little bit. I can’t move just yet.”

Steve chuckled, nuzzling Danny’s chest. “It’s okay, babe. Let’s just stay here for a bit.”

And they do. Danny closes his eyes, tightening his hold around Steve for a second before rubbing his hands up and down his back, sighing happily.

“Love you.”

“I love you too, Danno.”

  
  



End file.
